Legacy: Blood Hearts (Book 1)
by Snowfeather of CaveClan
Summary: After a dispute between brothers, Nightfeather is banished from the Clans of the Cliffs. Determined to save his past Clan from the claws of his power hungry brother, Ripplestar, Nightfeather will stop at nothing to create his own Clan, and bring peace among them again. But even StarClan cannot see everything.
1. Prologue

The rain soaked his long silver pelt, and the wet dirt muddied his black paws.

The willow trees managed to block some of the rain, but the cold dewdrops continued to hit his pelt. He held a squirrel in his jaws, luckily the rain hadn't scared all the prey. As he headed back towards his cave, a plead for help was heard all around.

"Help!"

The startled birds flew off, and he raced towards the source of the voice. He could only smell the scent of the wet dirt, but he caught a small whiff of a beast.

 _Fox_.

Quickening his pace, he leaped out from behind a holly bush. Landing of the red beasts back, he dug his teeth onto the skin. The beast snarled and squirmed in attempt to throw the tom off.

Soon, a second cat also latched itself on the fox. While the silver tom clawed the fox's back, the other cat dug its claws on the beats face. With one last whimper, the fox scurried away.

The iron scent of blood filled the toms nostrils as red stained the ground. The fox had left a gash on the silver toms shoulder, nothing a few cobwebs can't fix. A pale gray she-cat stood in front of him. A slight hint of fear shone in her blue eyes, but it was quickly changed with the hint of annoyance.

"I could've handled that on my own," She hissed.

Her tone took him by surprise, "If I'm not mistaken, _you_ were the one who called for help."

His remark only seemed to annoy her even further. "Humph, stupid tom, thinking she-cats can't do anything on their own," She muttered.

"Oh?" He purred. "That's not true. She-cats can do the same as toms."

"As a sign of gratitude, I will catch a piece of prey for you." With that, she turned and disappeared into the undergrowth.

* * *

Sometimes he wondered, what was going on back in DuskClan? How is Feathertail? Has Ripplestar done more damage?

He hoped they were all safe, including his power hungry brother.

* * *

A few moments later, the she-cat had returned with a rabbit in her jaws. She set it down at his feet, and began to leave.

"Er-you can keep it. I already have a squirrel," He called out.

Her tail had begun to lash side-to-side, and her ear began to flick. "Keep it. I can find my own prey."

"You know, it's rude to not say your name."

" _You_ know, it'a rude to ask for someone elses name without stating your own first," She shot back.

"Nightfeather." He purred. "That's my name."

"It's a weird name," she muttered. "My name is Moon."

* * *

It's been a moon since he met her. And he hasn't seen her since.

* * *

It is time.

Nightfeather had eaten travelling herbs, and now, he was about to begin his journey. He was going to find cats to join him. He was going to save the Clans of the Cliffs.

* * *

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	2. Chapter 1

It didn't take him long until he reached the two-leg place.

Their dens were all the same, and the shrubs were lined up. White wood spread around their territories, making it difficult to see over. He could scent a few cats, but the scent of thunderpath was everywhere.

He could hear a few cats chatting, but they sounded too much like kittypets who only cared about not getting wet in the rain. They couldn't possibly live without their two-leg, much less live in the wild.

* * *

Nightfeather had ventured deeper. With no luck, he only bumped into kittypets, who stayed in their own territory. Other than that, he was greeted by some not-so-friendly toms who claimed that he wanted to challenge them for territory, which Nightfeather found absurd.

After looking for a place to find prey, he bumped into two she-cats.

* * *

 _"Are you part of a Cage? You seem alone, it would be easy to kill you." the cat with a split face snarled._

 _The other she-cat seemed more calm, but she seemed like she would attack any second. "Who are you?"_

 _"I am Nightfeather." he answered her. "I do not know what you mean by 'cage'. I've traveled long and far in search for a place to call home. And now that I have found it, I wish to continue living with my original code."_

 _"Nightfeather? That's a weird name." the hostile she-cat muttered. Much like Moon. "What is this code you speak of? I hope nothing like the Cages. Or else, killing you may be better."_

 _"No," he answered them. "I speak of a Clan Code. Where rules are made to protect all cats in the group."_

 _The calm she-cat processed what the tom was saying. "You mentioned an original code? I'm guessing you were part of a group. What happened?"_

 _"Ebony," the she with the split face hissed. "What's the point of asking? I say we just leave."_

 _"Gold," she hissed. "He said this code was to 'protect all cats'. I'm curious. What do we need in order to join?"_

 _"Nothing." he purred. "As long as you vow to follow the code and be loyal to you Clanmates, that's enough to join."_

* * *

In the end, they had offered him to create a meeting.

He would still search for cats, but a meeting in three night-falls at moon-high will be held in order for them all to see whom their Clanmates may be. They had also stated that it would be much easier instead of explaining about a Clan to all cats he saw individually.

His stomach growled with hunger, only then he realized that he never got to catch any prey. Sighing, he went towards a 'barn', as his mentor had called an open two-leg den where other cats could catch some mice.

* * *

Once inside, patches of dry grass were stacked all over, and the scent of mice was strong.

The scent of iron filled the air. Once he saw the blood trail , he wasted no time in following it. In the back of the barn, next to a small patch of grass, a ginger tom lay there. His breath was shallow, it took no medicine cat to figure that out.

"If you're going to kill me, do it fast." he hissed.

"I'm not going to kill you." Nightfeather assured. "Who did this to you?"

"It was the Fire Cage. They attacked me. They're searching for her. They know we had kits. Please don't let them take our kits." the tom gasped. "She's near the Sand Rock. Please, I beg of you. Save them."

"Why tell me?"

"Because, I can see it in your eyes, you don't want to kill me. You want to save me, but I am beyond saving. You have a goal, I don't know what it is, but I know it is not bad." The ginger tom purred. "My mother told me that a cat would find me in my weakest moments. That he will help me rest in peace. Maybe you're that cat?" he chuckled. "No, no one believes me. They don't believe that there are cats in the stars. But they're watching over us."

Nightfeather was shocked. "You believe in StarClan?"

"Yes, and so does Petal. My mate. Please help them. She is weak. Our kits were born in moon-high. She won't be able to defend them on her own. Please." The tom pleaded.

"I'll do what I can." Nightfeather assured.

"Kill me now. End my suffering."

"I can't-"

"Yes you can. You're ending my pain." Nightfeather hesitated before unsheathing his claws, and placing them on the toms neck.

"Dew." He rasped. "Petal said my pelt seemed like the sun reflecting on a dewdrop. Tell her that, I'll be watching over her. Over our kits."

The tom closed his green eyes and relaxed. He was ready.

* * *

Nightfeather cleaned his black paws, and headed towards the 'Sand Rock'. Where he had told him that she was at. It was next to the river shore. He knew because that's where the two previous she-cats had told him the meeting would be held at.

And so, he went to find the toms mate and kits.

But what would he say? "Your mate, Dew, is dead."? No that seemed too straight forward. Maybe start with "He was a good cat"?

* * *

He would arrive around moon-high, seeing as the sun had begun to set. But he couldn't rest until he found them.

Deciding to take some prey, he went into the forest that lead to the river. It was beginning to get dark, but Nightfeather loved to hunt in the moon light.

The stars shone bright, StarClan was definitely following him. But is he the one who will stop Ripplestar?

* * *

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	3. Chapter 2

The moon shines bright in the sky. Including the stars.

Wind danced between the trees and leafs, and so did the river. The tired dancing leafs would drop and lay in the river. It's ripples would shake the reflection of the sky. His paws flipped the sand underneath him.

Paw prints were scattered around, no doubt, one set belonged to Dew.

Nightfeather allowed the wind to pass through his pelt. Leaf-fall was coming, seeing as even the slightest breath would blow the leafs off a whole trees. A few owls could be heard here and there, and the small claws of squirrels echoes as they scratched the wood.

Soon, they would all go to sleep for Leaf-Bare.

A few slight wails were heard not far, and the mice ran for shelter.

The silhouette of a boulder was illuminating against its dark surroundings. A calico she-cat stood next to it, her head lowered to drink off the river.

He attempted to be quiet, but that plan perished when his back paw stepped on a twig.

The she-cats head shot up, her green eyes scanned around until they locked with his own blue orbs.

It seemed like time had stopped, he did not mean to frighten the she-cat. She seemed to relax, which confused him.

"He sent you, right?" Her voice echoed in his ears.

How had she known? Or was she confused?

"Dew told me about you. 'A silver cat will come to help.' My name is Petal, my kits are in here," She meowed, pointing to a small den in the boulder.

As he neared, he noted that the boulder was covered in sand. "Did he?"

"Yes," she answered. "He came to me in a dream a while ago. Just before the sun set. Will you help us?"

"That's why I am here." He meowed.

"Come in," she invited. "It's late, you must be tired."

"I brought some prey." He set the squirrel down at her paws. Even he could see through her thick fur, that her ribs are visible.

Without hesitation, she dug in her prey.

* * *

It was now sun-rise and Nightfeather found himself standing above the boulder.

He loved to watch the sun rise.

It brought back memories: He would sit with his mother and brother, Dawntail and Ripplepaw (back then), at the cliffs. They adored how the sun reflected on the water, and the sound of the waves.

* * *

"You're up early." He heard Petal mutter from the entrance.

They both sat in silence. Only the soft sound of rippling water was heard, including the rustling bare branches. It had been such a long time since he's sat in peace, with little to worry about.

But times like this didn't last. "I need to keep looking."

"For what?"

"For more cats," He answered. "I'm going to create my own Clan. Then, I'm going to save the Clans of the Cliffs."

"A Clan?" Petal wondered. "What's that?"

"It's a group of cats that protect each other, and follow the Warrior Code," He explained. "We do have different positions, like we have a Leader, and we have a Deputy."

"I would like to join." She decided. "Dew would want me to."

"The only thing left, is to find more cats. I passed two she-cats who may be interested. Next Moon-High, on the full moon, we agreed to have a meeting here. They said that they'll tell some cats about it, so we can have more. But what kind of leader would I be if I let the rest do everything?" He purred.

"I know some cats that may be interested in joining," Petal exclaimed. "They've hid from the Cages, they can come and see if hey like the Clan idea."

"That would be fantastic, but where am I going to find them?"

"Stay with my kits," she declared. "I won't be long. They just finished feeding, I'm sure they'll be fine for a bit."

Yet Nightfeather seemed uncertain. He would be sitting around, while the rest did all the work, and that's not what he wanted. But then again, it would be safer if the cats were familiarized with each other. He doubted some cats would listen to him without hostility. "Fine, but don't go too far, I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you."

* * *

 _A few droplets fell, no doubt it would rain._

 _The clouds were only a pale shade of gray, it wont rain too much, he concluded. Hopefully some cats would show up._

 _As he turned towards the river, the reflection of a pale gray she-cat sat atop the Sand Rock. But she soon disappeared as a droplet rippled her image. Turning to a plant next to the shore, he saw her reflection on a dew, once again. But this time, she did not vanish._

 _Her long thick pelt brushed against his silver fur. "It's been a while, Nighty."_

 _"Nightfeather," He corrected. "What are you doing here, Moon?"_

 _"Can't I just come visit?" She purred. "So, whats this about a Clan?"_

 _"Straight to business I see," He noted. "How'd you find out about it? Not stalking are you?"_

 _Her purr grew louder at his comment. "I have time to spare," she answered truthfully. "You see, as a she-cat, I'm only allowed to hunt and be a queen. How boring it that? Ever since my father left to grow in numbers, I was sent back here to keep track of things. But my stupid flea-brained brother is acting like he owns the place."_

 _"It's no use, I don't know what you're talking about," Nightfeather admitted._

 _"Your mother was kind-"_

 _"Nightfeather!" Petal's meow was heard from a distance._

* * *

"-So then, there's a few queens coming. Along with their kits of course, and some other rogues. Most said they'll pass the word out," Petal explained. "So, by next Moon-High, they should be arriving to hear what you have to say."

"That's perfect," He meowed. "Which means, I should catch some prey for those who will attend."

* * *

The rest of the day was spent on ideas. Soon, night arrived once again, and Petal lay in the den with her three kits.

A star shone bright in the sky, "Dew," Nightfeather purred. "Are you watching them? I promise to keep them safe."

Next to him, the wind swirled a few leafs into the river. He watched them peacefully float, occasionally sink, but then float back up. Small fish jumped over them, creating ripples and waves. On occasions, he wished things could be peaceful like this, but he knew that the destiny between him and his brother would be nothing but storms.

Though in all, Ripplestar was his brother. No matter his crimes, Nightfeather could never truly hate him. Because, it's just the way things are supposed to be.

* * *

 **Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review!**

 **Badgerkit- No problem! :) I have high expectations for them *cough-mateforNightfeather-cough***

 **Keeper wishes a MerryChristmas- Thanks! I will be using a few of your cats for this story, so keep** **reading!**

 **Goldenwing is Loki'd- Oh thanks for that advice! LOL. I blame my English teachers for my poor literature skills! HaHa. And Moon will be very involved in the plot. She won't be in it as much, but she's very important!**

 ***Gives you all cookies* =^.^=**


	4. Chapter 3

On the day before the meeting, Nightfeather had begun to hunt. Might as well give a peace offering. If they were in hiding, then he doubted some queens couldn't hunt properly.

It was at this time when it was hard to hunt, with all the dried up leafs. They cracked under his paws, scarring the prey that hadn't gone to sleep yet.

They were a red and orange color, the color Nightfeather loved. It reminded him of each morning with his family.

Some cats could even hide in them, if their pelt was the right shade. "You again?" A she-cats meow erupted from atop a tree.

As he looked up, a black tortoiseshell she-cat looked down on him.

"What brings you to this part of the forest? Don't you know, cats aren't allowed here," She purred.

"Ebony?" He purred. "What do you mean cat's aren't allowed here?"

"Well, a few Cages claim the forest is haunted by dead cats spirits. The deeper you go, the more there are," She explained. "But, you didn't answer my question. You know, at Moon-High will be the meeting? I got some cats to come."

"Thank you," he meowed. "And, I am hunting. Some cats might be hungry."

"That's noble of you. In fact, Gold and I have made up our minds, we're going to join," She exclaimed. "Want me to help? I'm just passing time until it's Moon-High."

* * *

Gold had eventually joined, after her failed attempts to intimidate Nightfeather with glares.

Her black pelt blended as shadows under treed. And the golden parts in her fur appealed like leafs. Truthfully, she was a skilled hunter, her movements were elegant, and softened her cold tone.

By the time they finished, they had collected five squirrels, three voles, and a rabbit.

They proceeded to take it towards the Sand Rock, where Petal and her kits were. The sun had begun to set, and the moon was becoming visible.

* * *

When they arrived, Petal sat by the river with a gray tom. It seemed as he wasn't a threat, so he didn't attack.

As she noticed the three approaching cats, her ginger tail flicked in greeting. The gray toms eyes examined Nightfeather, and then nodded in greeting. He was quite big, a bit larger than Nightfeather, and the tom held an atmosphere of authority and kindness. This was certainly a cat that he would gladly accept in the Clan.

Not far from them, a beautiful pale silver tabby she-kit sat. Her crystal blue eyes shone with pride, as her head was held high.

"Nightfeather, this is Storm. Storm, this is Nightfeather."

"Nice to meet you." Storm bowed his head. "As Petal introduced, I am Storm. And over there," his tail flicked towards the silver kit. "Is Ice, my kit."

Storm's green eyes narrowed, as if expecting Nightfeather to do something. "Greetings," Nightfeather too bowed his head. "I do hope you join. I have brought prey, feel free to get a piece before more cats arrive."

* * *

They all sat in silence as they ate.

Petals kits had opened their eyes while Nightfeather was out hunting. Yet Petal would not allow them to leave the den. Meanwhile, Ice was stuck with watching over them.

Not that she didn't like kits, but they were little, and could barely say anything. Much less know what everything is.

It wasn't long until some cats rived, yet there were more to come.

He jumped atop the boulder, and waited for the other cats to arrive. But the question still haunted him, would any of them be willing to give up their lives to follow a strange cat?

Not far, he could see a dark red/brown tom approaching. He knew that pelt from anywhere, _Redclaw_.

Behind him, were three kits, and a she-cat.

 _Why is he here?_ Nightfeather thought. _Did Ripplestar send him?_

Nightfeather jumped down from the Sand Rock, and approached the warrior. "Redclaw," he snarled. The kits all hid behind the she-cat, who's blue eyes were wide with worry.

"It's good to see you too?" Redclaw purred. "If you're wondering, no Ripplestar did not send me. I am here on my own free will. I abandoned the Clan, in hopes of finding help. When I was told what you were doing, I'm here to join."

Redclaw's head dipped in respect. Soon, more cats arrived, both Nightfeather and Redclaw were sitting on the boulder. After a while, Nightfeather had allowed him to stay.

Once the moon reached it's highest point, Nightfeather yowled. "You are all here to know about a Clan.

First, a Leader. This position is held by an honorable warrior. In this case, I will become the leader. A leader receives nine lives, and they are used to serve the Clan. It means that a leader will be the first in battle, and last to eat when prey is scarce.

Second position is a Deputy, they are second in command, chosen by the Leader-"

"And how do we get chosen for Deputy?" A tom interrupted.

"By being loyal and caring for your Clanmates. Being leader is not about being strong, but it's a position meant for those who care for their Clanmates. And that is how a cat can get chosen.

We also have Warriors, which gives the final name to a cat-"

"What does that mean? Do we have to change our names?" The same gray tom meowed.

"Well let me explain it backwards then. When kits are 5 moons or younger, they get 'kit at the end. I was Night _kit_.

When they become 6 moons old, they become apprentices, which they are given a mentor and taught how to hunt and fight. Our battle training involves mock battles, but all cats must have sheathed claws. When made an apprentice, they get 'paw. So my name was changed to Night _paw_.

Once an apprentice finishes their training, around 12 moons, they get their final name. Which mine was Night _feather_.

Since I will become leader, my name will be Night _star_ once I get my nine lives. Given to me by StarClan."

"There's more Clans?" A golden brown tom hissed.

"StarClan is where cats go when they die. Each star at night is a dead cat,who has served to protect their friends and family," He answered.

"What happens when a cat gets too old to protect or hunt? What then? Will they be killed?" A brown tabby asked.

"They become Elders. Apprentices usually have the job to care for them, change their bedding, and get fresh-kill for them." He assured.

"I like the idea," A ginger and gray tabby she-cat purred. "I was a member-no-I was a _slave_ to the Frost Cage. There, I watched cats too old be killed for sore bones. Which is why I escaped with my kits. At least in a Clan, I know that my kits will be trained at an age appropriate time, and be training with sheathed claws."

With that, many cats muttered in agreement. A few had wandered off between his explanation, clearly not pleased. Nightfeather could see six apprentices, and plenty of warriors. Pleased with that, he yowled once again. "Cats who would like to join, may sleep here, and we will depart at sun-rise towards the camp."

* * *

 **I'm surprised that I'm getting plenty of reviews, lol. But thanks to the ones who mention my mistakes so I can go back and change them!**

 **Badgerkit- I have spare time xD**

 **CinderPeltLover- Ohh I didn't notice that! Lol. I corrected it!**

 **I'm still accepting cats if anyone else wants to add!**


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